Happy Independence day to Barbados! Today November 30, 1966, this Caribbean country gained independence from the British. Let’s explore  eight interesting facts about this country!

1. The island was formed by two land masses that merged together less than one million years ago.
   
   
2. Barbados is predominately Black. The population is about 286,000.
   
   
3. Bajan Creole is an English slang that fuses African and English influences.
   

     Three Bajan proverbs are:

   • Don’t tek a six for a nine: Be discerning
   • Cat luck ain’t dog luck: Different things work for different people
   • Dun let nobody jook you in the eye: Don’t get taken advantage of
     
     
4. Most people associate Barbados with Bajan singer Rihanna, who is a native of the island.  
   
   
5. The country has a rich African history embedded into the culture, and although the origin of Africans’ relationship with the island is sinister, the enslaved Africans on the island made invaluable impacts. The country’s Crop Over celebration, a three month long festival, is a fusion of traditional African and British festivals.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Bridgetown is the capital.
   
   
   
   
   
7. This year, the country’s prime minister, Mia Mottley, announced that the Bajan government planned to remove Queen Elizabeth as the head of state of Barbados.
   
   
   

    

   
   
8. The country’s national dish is Cou Cou and Fried Flying Fish, which is fried fish served with mashed corneal and okra in a sauce. It looks eerily similar to a West African fufu dish. Other dishes of the country include Chicken Curry, Fish Cake, Pepperpot or mixed meat stew, Brown Stew Chicken and more.